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Herman Charles Merivale
Herman Charles Merivale (27 January 1839 - 14 January 1906) was an English poet, playwright, and novelist. Life Merivale was born in London, the was only son of Herman Merivale, permanent under-secretary of the India office. He was educated first at a preparatory school and then at Harrow, where C.J. Vaughan, the headmaster, became much attached to him. He gives a full account of his schooldays in Bar, Stage, and Platform (1902; of. pp. 168-214).Lee, 616. On leaving school in 1857 Merivale entered Balliol College, Oxford, where Swinburne and Charles Bowen were his contemporaries. From early youth Merivale had been devoted to the drama, and was a good amateur actor, but his endeavour to found a dramatic club at Oxford (as Sir F.C. Burnand did at Cambridge) was foiled by the opposition of the dons. He earned a B.A. in 1861, graduating with a first class in classical moderations and a second in the final classical school. He was called to the bar of the Inner Temple on 26 Jan. 1864; he went on the western circuit, and also the Norfolk circuit, where Matthew Arnold was his companion. Later he was through his father's influence junior counsel for the government on Indian appeals, and in 1867 boundary commissioner for North Wales under the Reform Act. From 1870 to 1880 he edited the Annual Register. At his father's house he met many distinguished men, including Lord Robert Cecil, afterwards Lord Salisbury, who became a lifelong friend. After his father's death in 1874 Merivale gave up the law, and, following his real tastes, devoted himself to literature and the drama. As early as 1867 he had written, under the pseudonym of "Felix Dale," a farce, He's a Lunatic, in which John Clayton played the chief part, and in 1872 Hermann Vezin produced at tho Court Theatre A Son of the Soil, which Merivale adapted from Ponsard's Le Lion Amoureux.Lee, 617. In February 1875, suffering from what would nowadays be called depression, Merivale was committed to Ticehurst, a private lunatic asylum in Sussex owned and run by the Newington family. He spent almost 7 months at Ticehurst, being released in September 1875. His first dramatic success was All for Her, founded on Dickens's 'Tale of Two Cities,' written in collaboration with J. Palgrave Simpson, and produced by John Clayton at the Mirror Theatre (formerly the Holborn) on 18 October 1875. He returned to the Ticehurs asylum in 1876, on account of suicidal tendencies and was later transferred out of the hospital in 1877. He wrote of his experiences in a book published in 1879 under the pseudonym of “A Sane Patient”.My Experiences in a Lunatic Asylum (1879), Public Domain Review. Web, Feb. 23, 2017. In the autumn of 1879 Miss Genevieve Ward produced Forget-me-not, by Herman Merivale and F.C. Grove (cf. Bram Stoker, Personal Reminiscences of Sir Henry Irving, 1907, p. 350), and she played the part of the heroine, Stéphanie de Mohrivart, for 10 years (over 2000 times) in all parts of the world (cf. Helen C. Black, Pen, Pencil, Baton and Mask, p. 180). On 13 May 1878, Merivale married in London an Irish lady, Elizabeth, daughter of John Pitman, who often assisted him in his work, notably in The Don. They had no children. Merivale wrote many excellent farces and burlesques. At John Hollingshead's invitation he produced The Lady of Lyons Married and Settled (Gaiety Theatre, 5 Oct. 1878), and Called There and Back (Gaiety, 15 Oct. 1884). The Butler (1886) and The Don (1888) were both written for Toole, who took great pleasure in playing them, especially The Don (cf. J. Hatton, Reminiscences of J.L. Toole, 1892, pp. 264–5). In 1882, at Bancroft's invitation, Merivale adapted with admirable skill Sardou's Fédora. The same year Merivale sold the acting rights of Edgar and Lucy, a play adapted from Scott's Bride of Lammermoor, to Irving, who produced it on 20 September 1890, under the title of Ravenswood (cf. Bram Stoker, Sir Henry Irving, 1907, pp. 120-2). Meanwhile Merivale won a reputation as a novelist with Faucit of Balliol (3 volumes. 1882), the earlier chapters of which give an admirable picture of Oxford life. He proved his literary facility in a fairy tale for children, Binko's Blues (1884), and Florien, a five-act tragedy in verse (1884), and in frequent contributions to Blackwood, the Cornhill, the Spectator, Punch, Saturday Review, the World, and Truth. But it was in poetic drama that Merivale's ability, which combined fancy and wit with a poetic imagination, showed to best advantage. Merivale's health required him to live at Eastbourne. There he interested himself in politics as an ardent liberal, working hard for his party between 1880 and 1890. A brilliant speaker, he refused many invitations to stand for parliament, including the offer of an Irish seat from Parnell. In 1891 Merivale's health broke down while he was engaged on a memoir of Thackeray, for the Great Writers' series of Walter Scott, which Sir Frank Marzials completed. Ordered on a long sea-voyage to Australia, he and his wife were shipwrecked when six degrees north of the Equator, and on being rescued were taken to Pernambuco, where Merivale's increasing illness compelled a hasty return to England. Recovery followed, and Merivale was again at work. On leaving for Australia he had been induced to give his solicitor and trustee, Cartmell Harrison, a "power of attorney," and in 1900, through Harrison's default, he lost the whole of his fortune of £2000 a year. In June a matinée was given for his benefit at Her Majesty's Theatre. He died suddenly of heart failure on 14 Jan. 1906, at 72 Woodstock Road, Bedford Park, W. A few years before, he had become a Roman catholic. He was buried in his father's grave in Brompton cemetery. Writing Merivale's The White Pilgrim, produced by Hermann Vezin in 1883, is poetic drama of the highest quality. Merivale published the piece in a volume with other poems in the same year. Besides the plays cited, Merivale was the author of: 'A Husband in Clover' (Lyceum Theatre, 26 Dec. 1873). 'Peacock's Holiday' (Court Theatre, 16 April 1874). 'The Lord of the Manor,' founded on 'Wilhelm Meister' (Imperial Theatre, 3 April 1880). 'The Cynic' (Globe Theatre, 14 Jan. 1882). 'The Whip Hand,' with Mrs, Merivale Cambridge Theatre Royal, 21 Jan. 1885). 'Our Joan' (Grand Theatre, 3 Oct, 1887). Recognition A Civil List pension of £125 was awarded to him on 25 May 1900. His widow was granted a Civil List pension of £50 in 1906. Two portraits, one by Claude Calthrop, M.A., belonged to Mrs. Merivale. Publications Poetry *''The White Pilgrim, and other poems. London: Chapman & Hall, 1883. *Florien: A tragedy, in five acts; and other poems. London: Remington, 1884. Plays *''He's a Lunatic: A farce, in one act. London: T.H. Lacy, 1867; Chicago: Dramatic Publishing, 1867. *''Six Months Ago: A commedietta, in one act''. London: T.H. Lacy, 1868; Chicago: Dramatic Publishing, 1868. *''A Son of the Soil: A romantic play, in three acts''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1872. *''Alone: An original comedy drama, in three acts'' (with J. Palgrave Simpson). London & New York: Samuel French, 1873. *''A Husband in Clover: A farce, in one act''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1873. *''The White Pilgrim: A tragedy, in four acts''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1874. *''All For Her: A drama, in three acts''. London: W. Smith, 1875. *''Lady of Lyons, Married and Settled: A vaudeville, in three scenes''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1878. *''Forget Me Not: An original play, in three acts''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1879. *''The Lord of the Manor: A drama, in three acts''. Kingston on Thames, UK: G. Phillipson, 1879. *''Peacock's Holiday: A farcicl comedy, in two acts''. 1879. *''Binko's Blues: A tale for children of all growths''. London: Chapman & Hall, 1884. *''Called There and Back Again: A parody burlesque, in one act''. London: H. Blacklock, 1884. *''Souvenire of Ravenswood: A play''. London: Cassell, 1890. *''The Queen's Proctor: A comedy, in three acts''. London: Chiswick Press, 1896. Novel *''Faucit Of Balliol: A story, in two parts. London: Chapman & Hall, 1882. ''Volume I, Volume II, Volume III Non-fiction *''My Experiences in a Lunatic Asylum'' (by "A Sane Patient"). London: Chatto & Windus, 1879. audio *''Life of W.M. Thackeray'' (with Frank T. Marzials). London: Walter Scott, 1891. *''Bar, Stage and Platform. London: Chatto & Windus, 1902. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Feb. 23, 2017. See also *List of British poets *List of English-language playwrights References * . Wikisource, Web, Feb. 23, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *Merivale in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "Aetate XIX," "Ready, Aye, Ready," "Thaisa's Dirge" ;Books * ;About *My Experiences in a Lunatic Asylum (1879) reviewed at Public Domain Review * Merivale, Herman Charles Category:1839 births Category:1906 deaths Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:English poets Category:People educated at Harrow School Category:People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Category:Burials at Brompton Cemetery Category:English male writers Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:People from London Category:Poets Category:Poets hospitalized for mental illness